Topics

1

You Asked Me This Question / What does the expression "if anything" mean

« on: November 18, 2013, 02:36:50 PM »

Hi Joe,

It's been a while since I last visited and I'm glad to see that all is well (at least in the Forum). Like many of our kababayans here in Los Angeles, CA, my family and I are glued to the TV watching broadcasts on the progress of the relief efforts in the areas devastated by Yolanda. We all hope and pray for our countrymen especially in those hard-hit areas.

More than twice, I've come across the phrase "If anything," my latest "meeting" with it being this afternoon when I read a study with this excerpt: “I do not believe that substituting more precise words and phrases for an equivocal word would decrease the scientific quality of the writing.  If anything, I felt that the precision of the communication process was improved in the 110 instances in which the 'e-word' was replaced.  Equivocal words can always be replaced by other words or phrases that convey a more precise meaning in a scientific context." (italics mine)

Please clarify when, how, etc. "If anything" is used. I googled it but I think it's better to consult with the word maven.

Thanks.

Jonathan

2

Use and Misuse / A confused and grammatically flawed sentence about a fallen dictator

« on: October 24, 2011, 01:04:43 AM »

Hi Joe,

Is this sentence, from an article titled "How Qaddafi Reshaped Africa" in the online edition of The Atlantic, grammatically correct?

"Of the three North African countries at the heart of the popular uprisings that have riveted the world over the last several weeks, Libya's Muammar Qaddafi has always done the most to assert his country's African identity, staking its prestige, its riches and his own personal influence above all on its place in the continent."

The way its author Howard French wrote it, shouldn't the subject be "Libya" instead of Libya's Muammar Qaddafi"?

Thanks for you comments.

Jonathan

3

Use and Misuse / Dangling modifier?

« on: January 24, 2011, 06:15:22 AM »

Hi Joe,

Cleaning up the garage, I was browsing some some magazines when I came across this sentence in an article (titled "Platon's Portraits") in Esquire's May 2004 edition: 

"Though he's a Greek who grew up in London, the iconic photographs in Platon's first book, Platon's Republic (Phaidon, $60), are a veritable primer on American culture. We asked the photographer to reflect on a few memorable subjects."

Something seems amiss.  Am I right?

Thanks.

Jonathan

4

Essays by Joe Carillo / Conditional sentences

« on: January 10, 2011, 05:02:26 AM »

Although the answer to the first "conditional" question is clear from a reading of "the first conditional" paragraph of your essay, the answers to the second and third are not (at least, to me anyway).  May we have the answers, please?  Thanks.

5

You Asked Me This Question / How "on the contrary" and "to the contrary" differ

« on: November 18, 2009, 06:21:35 AM »

Hi Joe,

I've seen these phrases not a few times in legal briefs. If they have distinct uses, what's the rule on usage?

Thank you.

Jonathan

6

My Media English Watch / What's correct: "privileged speech" or "privilege speech"?

« on: September 24, 2009, 09:57:57 AM »

Hi Mr. Carillo:

I'm a regular reader of the online editions of Philippine newspapers, including Manila Times and Malaya.  This week's focus (at least to me) was the Ping Lacson vs. Jinggoy Estrada showdown in the Senate.  In both Manila Times and Malaya, the reporters called their exposes and counter-exposes "privilege speech."  Shouldn't it be "privileged speech"?

Jonathan 

7

You Asked Me This Question / Can "between" be used for more than two subjects

« on: September 24, 2009, 09:38:20 AM »

Hi Mr. Carillo:

I've finally gotten hold (is this correct English?) of your "Winning Edge" book that was my prize for besting the two other participants in the "beach resort contest."  I went to San Francisco for an appointment in the morning of the 15th, and later in the afternoon met up with my brother-in-law JR in Millbrae (about a 15-minute drive south of SF).  JR was vacationing in Manila when I had you send the book to my father-in-law's house in the Cubao area where he was staying (so you didn't have to air mail it to my West Covina, CA address).  Anyway, thank you for the autographed book.  I'm eagerly looking forward to reading it.

On your topic on the use of "between," I have a question:  Can "between" be used when there are more than two subjects, or does one use "among"?

Maybe the answer lies in your book, but I haven't had the chance to open it yet.

Again, thank you.

Jonathan